Maintenance – AccomNews – Australiahttps://www.accomnews.com.au
Keeping Accommodation Industry Professionals InformedWed, 23 May 2018 10:52:13 +0000en-AUhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6From nappies to toothbrushes: How the best cleaners achieve perfectionhttps://www.accomnews.com.au/2018/05/from-nappies-to-toothbrushes-how-the-best-cleaners-achieve-perfection/
https://www.accomnews.com.au/2018/05/from-nappies-to-toothbrushes-how-the-best-cleaners-achieve-perfection/#respondTue, 22 May 2018 23:19:25 +0000https://www.accomnews.com.au/?p=30321Are your cleaners up to scratch? We’ve tapped Good Housekeeping for a guide to the tricks used by the very best…

Clear the clutter first

Start with a blank slate. Empty the bins, remove linen, towels, and anything else left behind. In the bathroom, clear the towels, bath mats, bottles, and everything on the counters or toilet tank.

Use microfibre cloths – or cotton if necessary

Efficient dusting requires a proper cleaning cloth. Microfibre is best, but if you don’t have one, use a rag that’s 100 percent cotton – like a cloth nappy, an old pillowcase or an old tee-shirt – and dampen it slightly. Be sure to avoid using terrycloth towels or polyester – they can actually create more dust.

Look for the tags

Making a bed that’s larger than a twin can be time-consuming, so remember, tags always go on the bottom. With king sheets, the tags are on the left. With queen sheets, they’re on the right.

Give drapes a good whack in between deep cleaning

The best way to dust curtains is to whack them with a hand towel – the size makes it heavy enough to make a good impact, but light enough that your arm won’t tire. The drape attachment on a vacuum cleaner doesn’t get all the nook and crannies like a towel. Knock out all the dust onto the floor and then vacuum it up.

Vacuum before mopping

Always vacuum – or sweep – before mopping. Wet hair on the floor can be difficult to remove. When it’s time to mop, start from the far corner and make your way to the door.

Do the bathrooms last

It’s always best to start in the bedroom rather than the bathroom to minimise bacterial transfer.

Give cleaning products time to work

Spray the shower walls and the toilet and leave them to do their job for several minutes. Use that time to clean the mirrors, windows, medicine cabinet, and whatever else is in the room, then go back and wash off the surfaces, using less elbow grease.

Vacuum the opposite way than you’ve been taught

Most people start at the furthest part of the room and vacuum themselves out, but if you vacuum into the room over the high-traffic areas and then vacuum yourself out, you cover the most walked-on parts twice.

Use the cheapest cleaning product

White vinegar and water is the best cleaning fluid. It even clears cloudiness from residue left behind by other cleaning products. Fill a spray bottle with one part vinegar to three parts water.

Always have a toothbrush handy

Good cleaners will have several small brushes to get into tiny cracks and hard-to-reach spots – like the bottom screws of a toilet, for example.

]]>https://www.accomnews.com.au/2018/05/from-nappies-to-toothbrushes-how-the-best-cleaners-achieve-perfection/feed/0Are your pillows making guests sick?https://www.accomnews.com.au/2018/05/are-your-pillows-making-guests-sick/
https://www.accomnews.com.au/2018/05/are-your-pillows-making-guests-sick/#respondSun, 20 May 2018 07:38:27 +0000https://www.accomnews.com.au/?p=30263A massive 91 percent of people rate pillows as vital for a good night’s sleep according to the US National Sleep Foundation.

Yet while accommodation houses have woken up to the importance of pillow comfort in recent years, many remain unconscious of the fact that discerning guests are looking for more than softness.

No pillow will be winning awards for comfort if there are stains beneath its snowy protectors or allergy-inducing bacteria luxuriating within its fluffy stuffing.

So here’s some discrete pillow talk to help accom managers bolster their bedroom hygiene.

A hotel that runs at 70% occupancy with guests staying an average 1.4 nights will have around 180 people a year sleeping on a pillow, each imprinting their unique blend of oils and odours.

Housekeeping staff may be adept at pulling stained, flat or lumpy pillows out of service but they don’t have the means to see what lurks inside.

A three-year-old pillow, for example, will contain some 100,000 dust mites, one of the major causes of allergies.

Pillows are major breeding grounds for bacteria, viruses and mould which can negatively affect guests and cause symptoms after checkout.

Pillow protectors help limit staining, but they do nothing to eliminate the build-up of dust or prevent micro-organisms from growing inside pillows.

Brian Guernier of US company Pillow Fresh surveyed pillows in 30 four and five-star accommodation properties and found most were around seven years old – in line with the cycle of a hotel’s soft goods replacement.

“This seems like a very long-time for a hotel to keep their pillows in service,” he said.

“In fact, most knowledgeable hotel industry professionals will tell you pillows should be replaced every two years.”

How to maintain a pillow inventory

The first option is to wash pillows, but laundering does not get the dust out of the inside of a pillow, is water and energy intensive and often requiring several cycles to clean and dry. Detergent can cause the filling material to break down prematurely and washing synthetic pillows can often cause the inside to “pill”, making the pillow uncomfortable to lie on.

The second option is to replace pillows every two years. While it’s not environmentally friendly, this is probably the best option for those using lower cost synthetic or chambered feather-and-down pillows.

The last option is for operators with quality feather-and-down pillows to implement a cleaning and restoration process using specialised equipment. Each pillow is cut open and the contents are tumbled under a sanitising and deodorising light to kill bacteria and sift out dust and dust mites. The contents are blown back into a new pillow cover and the four-inch cut is stitched up – a process taking around five minutes per pillow. With the latest emphasis on sustainability, this could be a marketing opportunity and a cost saver for larger hotels.

As an accommodation provider, you’ll know how important it is to provide a clean and comfortable place for your guests to stay.

And, if your carpets look dirty or worn, it can really bring down the overall look and feel of your establishment.

This means you should put plenty of effort into maintaining your flooring so it’s free from dirt and stains.

Here, we’ll take you through our three top tips for keeping your hotel’s carpets in great condition. Take these on-board to ensure you maintain a pleasant and tidy environment that your guests will be happy to return to time and time again.

Adjust your approach when cleaning different carpets

Certain cleaning techniques will work best for different kinds of carpet. So, unless you’ve used the same flooring throughout your hotel, you should analyse each room and decide what kind of approach is likely to work best.

Looped carpets like those with a Berber weave tend to hide dirt quite well, and are also the easiest to clean — vacuum cleaning them three times a week will go a long way to keeping them in great condition and looking their best.

You don’t have to stress too much if something gets spilled on a Berber carpet, either. If it’s water soluble, gently scrubbing the area with a cool, wet cloth should do the job.

And, if you’re dealing with any other type of fresh stain, sprinkling baking soda onto the affected area, leaving it to draw out excess moisture, and then going over it with a vacuum cleaner should solve the problem for you.

Cut pile carpets are usually denser, which means they can harbour a lot more dirt.

To help remove as much of this as possible, you should always use a vacuum cleaner that’s fitted with a beater bar or brush.

Cut pile carpets can also stain far more easily than those that are looped and, in order to prevent your hotel’s flooring from being irreparably damaged, you should ensure that both you and your staff know how to tackle different kinds of spillages.

The UK-based National Carpet Cleaners Association has an in-depth online guide to teach you how to tackle every kind of stain, and what you should have on hand for emergencies.

Make sure you have all the essentials to hand

To ensure you can keep your carpets in good condition and deal with any spillages or stains as soon as possible, you need to ensure you have a full carpet cleaning tool kit.

This should include clean white cloths, baking soda, plain white vinegar, specialist detergents, and a vacuum cleaner that can withstand daily use.

If your hotel has a lot of rooms and tends to be quite busy, it might even be worth investing in a carpet cleaning machine that will help you to perform deep cleans with minimal fuss.

If this is a route you would like to go down, you need to think carefully about what kind of machine will be suitable and, most importantly, what kind of carpet cleaning brush will give you the best results.

An industry insider said: “When choosing carpet cleaning brushes, there are three things you need to consider: what kind of carpets you have, how often you plan to clean them, and whether you’re looking to use wet or foam shampoo.

“Polyester brushes are particularly stiff, and should only be used to clean rugs, rather than large sections of carpet. These typically work best when you’re looking to wet shampoo your flooring.

“Polypropylene brushes can also be used for wet shampooing, but their bristles tend to be softer, which means they can be used to clean wall-to-wall carpets, as well as rugs.

“Finally, there are two kinds of nylon brushes — those that work well with wet shampoo, and those that are great for generating the foam that some carpet cleaning systems use.

“Again, while their bristles are durable, they’re soft enough to be used on both rugs and large areas of carpet.”

Devise a deep cleaning schedule

While vacuuming on a daily basis and dealing with stains as and when they happen will go a long way to keeping your flooring in good condition, you should also deep clean your carpets on a regular basis.

The frequency will depend on how busy your establishment is. Particularly busy hotels will typically do this every few weeks, while those that are on the smaller side can get away with two deep cleans a year.

Once you’ve calculated how frequently you think your flooring will need to be refreshed, plan your deep cleans for the next year and put the dates in your diary. Then, make sure you stick to them.

It’s important that your hotel always offers your customers a clean and comfortable place to stay, and ensuring your carpets are in good condition will certainly help with this.

Take these tips on board, and your flooring will always look its best.

There comes a time, though, when descriptions like “faded décor” and “bit dated” start creeping into your Trip Advisor reviews.

Meeting guest expectations is the challenge for every accommodations provider – whether you’re running a B&B in Bermagui or a resort in Redland Bay.

Larry Mogelonsky of Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited has some pointers we feel it’s essential to remember.

Budgets never last for longer than the time they were created

Larry says: “There are more ways for costs to overrun than you can count. It’s natural to use a renovation to augment deep cleaning, upholstery renewal, upgraded security systems, LED conversions and any other new technologies. It all adds up!”

What lies beneath?

Planning and budgeting should involve a thorough assessment of the infrastructure behind your walls. Unforeseen wiring and plumbing issues can spark time blow-outs and flood you with time delays.

Don’t DIY

As Larry says: “You have a hotel business to run, not a construction site. Don’t even think of doing both simultaneously”. You need someone who will manage the project on your behalf.

Stay in touch

There are always unexpected issues. If you’re not regularly on-site, decisions will get made by people with good intentions but no direct access to your brain. Power points and light switches won’t fit into your minimalist masterplan unless you’re on hand to specify where they should be hidden.

Create a deadline

Be realistic about the length of time you can afford to have your property out of action. Make sure everyone knows your deadline and sticks to it. Larry says: “You decide what the maximum tolerable length of agony is that your property can endure before irreparable damage is done to its occupancy and reputation.”

Don’t let ‘What If?’ become ‘WTF?’

Want to move a door, reposition a switch or add a dimmer? Most contractors will never say no. Larry says: “Just about anything can be built or modified; it is merely a matter of time and materials. So, be careful what you ask for, as your whimsical idea may be converted into reality but at a price too hefty to properly bear.”

Take plenty of photos

The time will come when you’ll look back on the whole bad dream with fondness, and an appreciation of how much better everything but the bank balance looks. Try to image the best angles and where you stood, so that you can replicate them exactly with the new look. The before-and-after comparisons may help justify any cost overruns.

]]>https://www.accomnews.com.au/2018/03/how-to-avoid-renovation-devastation/feed/0Sniffing out a solution for bed bugs… Literally.https://www.accomnews.com.au/2018/02/sniffing-out-a-solution-for-bed-bugs-literally/
https://www.accomnews.com.au/2018/02/sniffing-out-a-solution-for-bed-bugs-literally/#respondTue, 27 Feb 2018 07:45:39 +0000https://www.accomnews.com.au/?p=28205Our very own cleaning whiz had a no-good-very-bad, terrible start to 2018: she caught a bug (and I don’t mean flu). Her property succumbed to that voracious beast, the bed bug!

With Mammy’s love of cleaning, she never expected to be attacked by bugs while asleep. The poor oul’ crater, Himself was covered in bites from head to toe and he was so upset that he stomped off to the local pub and had a kip at the neighbours. Poor Mammy was left to battle the ‘lousy little fecks’.

She had a go at exterminating and thought she had them beat, but then some guests complained (furious they were). Mammy realised she had made matters worse! For the love of God, Mammy was at her wits end! She worried that before long her whole resort would be banjaxed with bugs!

Then Mammy read a Facebook post about dogs being used to sniff out bed bugs. Well, Mammy was delighted because her dog, Bono, was a rare sniffer. She decided that it was about time the oul’ mutt did something useful. So, as we speak, Mammy is attempting to put Bono to work, sniffing out bed bugs. Even Himself is mighty impressed. He told her: “Mammy, if this works sure Bono will be the dogs bollix!”

Are dogs an effective pest management solution?

As much as ccomnews enjoys Wily Irish Mammy’s quirky take on bed bug elimination, we highly recommend that you always consult the professionals as an infestation of bedbugs should be dealt with by the experts.

It is true that some pest-control companies use highly trained detection dogs and there is proof that sniffers can locate just a single bedbug (or a few eggs) with astonishing accuracy, but deploying them in the real world is not yet a perfect science.

accomnews spoke to Australia’s eminent expert on bed bugs, Stephen L. Doggett, Director of the Department of Medical Entomology, NSW Health Pathology, regarding the use of sniffer dogs to detect bed bugs. Stephen has been at the forefront of documenting the rise and impact of bed bugs within Australia, and along with a distinguished team of Australian pest controllers produced an industry standard on bed bug management, A Code of Practice for the Control of Bed Bugs in Australia (available for free from www.bedbug.org.au).

Stephen told us: “They can be great, but they can also be quite bad. Let me explain… The first use of scent detection dogs for the detection of bed bugs was undertaken by the University of Florida in the late 2000s. The research indicated that dogs were 98 percent accurate in locating bed bugs, with zero false positive alerts (where a dog indicates but there are no bed bugs present). Furthermore, the study showed that dogs could distinguish between living and dead bed bugs with a 95 percent degree of accuracy.

“However, this research was undertaken in an artificial environment and not in a real-world situation where there are multiple scents that can (and do) distract dogs. The feeling in the pest control industry was that these results were too good to be true, and this was subsequently found to be the case.

“Richard Cooper and colleagues (2014) from Rutger’s University in New Jersey, tested the ability of eleven canine teams (i.e. the dogs and the handlers) to accurately detect bed bugs in hotels. Most handlers believed that their dogs were highly effective at detecting bed bugs, but this was proved not to be the case. The average detection rate was only 44 percent (with a range of 10-100 percent) and the mean false positive rate was 15 percent (range of 0-57 percent). Generally, the better a dog was at detecting bed bugs, the greater the chance a false positive rate was going to occur.

“Subsequently, four dog teams were tested over a series of days, and the results were highly inconsistent and quite variable in terms of bed bug detection from day to day.”

What can we take from all this? Stephen explained: “A scent detection dog is a tool, which has limitations as all bed bug management devices. A lack of training of the dog and handler or inappropriate training (e.g. misguided scent training), inappropriate reward systems (some handlers reward the dog when it indicates, rather than after confirming an infestation is present), a lack of quality controls (e.g. live bed bugs in cups or bed bug scent to constantly check the dog’s ability to detect bugs), fatigue (some days, dogs do not work well, like all living creatures and become tired!), limitations in where a dog can reach (the dog is unlikely to detect an infestation in a cornice, for example, or other areas where it is unable to reach), air flow variations (from air conditioning or other sources), all means that scent detection dogs can (and do) fail.”

In practice, what does this mean? “In all cases, if a dog indicates an infestation, the handler must confirm that bed bugs are present. Conversely, if the dog does not indicate, it does not mean that bed bugs are not present. We know that there are strain variations in bed bugs and the chemicals they exude. A colleague of mine has a strain of bed bugs that no dog can detect, as the strain does not produce a particular pheromone that most bed bugs produce, which the dogs pick up on.

“The other issue with dogs, is that generally they represent a one-off inspection, at one particular point in time. They are not continually monitoring bed bugs as traps do (but traps also vary enormously in their degree of efficacy – this is a whole other story!),” he replied.

How do dogs compare to other detection technologies? Stephen said: “The other main methods for bed bug detection include; resident interviews, visual inspection, and the installation of bed bug traps.

“For a hotel, the last thing you want is for the client to inform management of bed bugs. This has happened to me twice over the last year (and I requested a room without bed bugs, which makes the hotel very liable!) There is nothing like the presence of bed bugs that can damage the reputation of a hotel more rapidly than bed bugs as infestations are promptly reported to the world via social media (luckily, for the hotels that I stayed in, I don’t do social media).

“The second method, visual inspection, should be undertaken by someone trained in bed bug recognition. This can be a pest manager, or better still, someone in housekeeping who checks the beds on a routine basis. The frequency of checking would be based around bed bug activity in the facility.

“Regarding traps, there are some very effective bed bugs traps on the market, notably the ‘pitfall’ style, which looks like a cup and is placed under the bed leg or near the head board. However, the hospitality industry does not like these, as the traps are obvious and almost advertised that bed bugs are present. The great advantage of traps is that they are present 24/7 and represent a continual monitoring system (if checked regularly and properly maintained).”

Are there any advantages to using dogs? Stephen agreed: “One advantage of using dogs is their speed. They can rapidly examine a room, much more quickly than a trained human can. It is easy to spend 45mins checking for bed bugs, even longer in a moderate infestation, while a dog takes minutes. Thus, large areas can be rapidly checked by a dog.”

Beware, he advised: “Dogs are not without other issues. You do see videos of dogs where the handler forces them onto the bed. This appears unprofessional in my opinion. If you have a client who then comes in and suffers with a severe animal allergy – the hotel could face legal difficulties. Thus, is there an onus to inform the client that a dog was present in the room just in case a guest could suffer an adverse reaction? Then what do you say the dog was doing in the room? Clearly you will not admit to bed bug detection!

“One senior executive in one of the largest hotel chains in the world, said to me that he would not allow dogs into any of his hotels as he was concerned guests would see the animal, and think that they were bomb or drug dogs. However, these fears are unfounded as professionals will bring their dog in a covered cart, and no one will be the wiser that there is a dog present.

“One nefarious use of dogs is that some handlers have trained their dog to indicate when no bed bugs were present, in order to gain a control contract. This has been reported in New York. Hopefully however this is rare and does not occur in Australia.”

Dogs are used regularly in the USA and UK to detect bugs. How common is their use in Australia?

“Dogs for the use of bed bug detection are uncommon. In fact, I have only known of three companies that use them on a regular basis. In contrast, in the US a survey of pest managers in 2015 (Potter et al. 2015) showed that 42 percent of pest managers used dogs for bed bug detection.”

Can any dog be trained to sniff? “Unfortunately; some people think they can train any dog for bed bug detection and then use them for profit. Sadly, this is not the case. Some dogs cannot be trained easily, some perform badly. Dogs require ongoing training (almost daily, according to some handlers) and this all means that dogs represent a significant cost to a pest control company. For this reason, few companies have dogs in Australia as there is a lack of financial return.”

In your opinion how should they be used? “In summary, dogs have their place in bed bug detection. They are more accurate than a one off visual inspection, but probably less useful than a trained housekeeper who is constantly checking for activity. It is important to remember that dogs are a tool with limitations, as per all bed bug management options.”

]]>https://www.accomnews.com.au/2018/02/sniffing-out-a-solution-for-bed-bugs-literally/feed/0Do you scare easy? Check your camerashttps://www.accomnews.com.au/2017/11/do-you-scare-easy-check-your-cameras/
https://www.accomnews.com.au/2017/11/do-you-scare-easy-check-your-cameras/#respondWed, 29 Nov 2017 02:21:51 +0000https://www.accomnews.com.au/?p=26469Nobody wants their property morphing into the set of a horror film, least of all guests looking for a relaxing getaway.

Hotel room invasions are a very real threat and without a security system in place to (ideally) prevent intruders and then record entries and exits around the property, the police are left to try and resolve a crime with a transient victim and an unknown perp.

Big crimes, big news

One widely publicised hotel room intrusion occurred back in October 2016 when Kim Kardashian West was held at gunpoint in her Parisian hotel room. Five men forced a concierge to let them up to the reality icon’s room, where they tied her up and stole jewellery and items worth more than $8.7 million.

Just weeks ago, the world watched in shock as details rushed out about the act of terror that took place in Las Vegas; a shooter killed 58 people and injured more than 500 from his hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Police found 23 guns in his room after the mass shooting, and many people questioned how he was able to transport so many guns to his room without being intercepted by hotel security.

A few months ago, our very own Graham Vercoe wrote a detailed special report in Resort News on safety precautions at the upcoming Commonwealth Games, asking the question, ‘is it enough?’. Terrorists, he explained, are turning to ‘soft targets’ that tend not to have the high level of security that’s expected at, say, an airport. This puts hotels, resorts, casinos and apartment buildings at a higher risk.

Specifically the larger properties in key cities. Having said that, the risk of a terrorist attack taking place at a midscale Aussie accom provider, or even in Australia at all is relatively low. As Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate told Graham: “Let’s be honest, Australia, we haven’t hurt anybody. We are a long way from them and I think [IS] are too busy to stir up in Europe and the like. I don’t think they will come over but we are prepared if they do.” More than $45 million has been budgeted for security at next year’s games.

Gambling on your security

If you have pokie machines or other gaming areas at your property, you definitely need to make sure you have CCTV in situ. Back in January, a man allegedly set fire to some machines after raining petrol down on them. The Beenleigh hotel gaming room saw 40 pokie machines go up in flames.

Without the proper safety measures in place, crimes like this are able to take place and criminals may evade police. Not only this, but if staff are aware that a crime is taking place it’s not guaranteed that they will be able to act right away. In the case of an arson attack, they may not be able to identify or remember the appearance of a suspect, or keep an eye on who’s walking through the lobby. CCTV cameras can record everything so that staff have a back-up and can be backed up by evidence if they do need to relay information in a police investigation.

CCTV along with access and remote control are all essential security measures in providing a safe accommodation environment. If you run a family-friendly establishment where young children are running around from lobby to pool to playground to hotel room, you need to make sure security has eyes and ears on the go at all times.

Access control is particularly useful for this as it allows you to secure areas of your property, like the pool area, or the ‘family floor’ if you like to group families together, etc. It minimises risk quite substantially. It also means you can restrict which members of staff can go where. Does anyone other than housekeeping really need guestroom access? The more people who have access to an area, the harder it is to pinpoint the guilty party if something happens or a crime takes place.

CCTV, the queen of security

There’s a reason cameras are the go-to move when boosting security: they are effective in so many different ways. Not only do they record activity for later use, but they also act as a deterrent. If a would-be criminal can spot CCTV dotted around your building, he/she will think thrice before breaking in or vandalising a wall.

Think about where you place these cameras: rooms next to fire escapes and back doors are more likely to be targeted by opportunist intruders so you should shortlist these locations for CCTV placement.

Now that Australia’s internet connection is improving, it’s possible to store data that much easier, which means you can keep your cameras switched on for longer, or at least have more control over the amount of recordings you keep and with what frequency.

What’s really key, is installation

A good industry supplier will be able to analyse your property and tell you where the weak points are; where you need CCTV; where you can afford to place deterrents versus where you need to plant your headline pieces of equipment.

There are many ways to deter forced entry; things like strike plates, reinforced doors, strong locks on doors and windows will do their bit in helping to dissuade intruders so it’s important to ask for suggestions and options when you talk to a security professional.

Remote access allows you to keep tabs on your property when you’re off-site. It also gives you a better vantage point to work in different areas of the building without dropping the ball on security.

It also prevents prying eyes from scanning your monitors to work out which cameras are switched on.

We’ve compiled them for you to check how fire safety ready you are. Of course, this is not professional or legal advice – it is simply intended as a reminder to make sure your accommodation complies with all fire safety recommendations. There’s no better way to do that than by checking with a certified professional, so accomnews urges its readers to get an up-to-date risk assessment.

Check out this month’s issue of Resort News for a special report on unsafe building materials.

Who you gonna call?

As part of a risk assessment, legal compliance and fire safety audits should be undertaken. Of course, you won’t be able to do these yourself. You’ll need to contact a qualified professional. There are also lots of different by-laws in place to guide strata owners and managers on the topic of maintenance so to navigate these, it is best to talk to a specialist firm.

If you aren’t sure who to call, ask your peers, check the preferred supplier list here in Resort News (as those come peer-recommended) and do some basic background research. Are they nationally accredited? Have they assessed properties similar to yours before?

Fire safety items on hand?

There are some products you should have on-site in case of emergency. Of course, fire extinguishers are a given but they must meet Australian standards and require some maintenance. Extinguishers come with different types of contents, ranging from water and foam, to wet chemicals and powder. Things like monitoring the correct pressure and shaking the containers to prevent powder from settling may need to be undertaken every so often – make sure you read the instructions and discuss a maintenance plan with your supplier. Depending on your property’s type, you may require things like fire blankets, hoses and/or reels. It depends mostly on the floor plan and overall structure of the building, which is why organising an official building inspection and obtaining a thorough risk assessment is so important.

Do you have fire doors?

To help contain fire and prevent the spread of harmful flames, hot gases and smoke, corridors should be fitted with fire doors. Exhaust fans should also be installed in emergency stairwells to prevent the build-up of smoke in these essential escape routes.

What is your fire detection system like?

A range of fire detection systems are available and provide early detection of even slow smouldering fires and can be configured to detect carbon monoxide (CO), smoke and heat. Such fire detection systems can also be fully interconnected with fire suppression systems such as sprinklers, as well as emergency evacuation systems.

Accommodation complexes may need to install comprehensive fire suppression systems to deal with larger fires should they occur. With the kitchen presenting one of the biggest fire hazards, hotel management should consider fire protection systems designed specifically for use with, for example, high temperature cooking oils and slow-cooking appliances. Having well maintained functional fire equipment on hand and more structural protections like sprinklers, when and where you need it can mean the difference between a minor fire and a devastating full-scale blaze.

Are you prepared right now?

Fire safety is one of those things we all hope we will never need to know, but absolutely cannot risk neglecting.

Here’s a few common fire risks for accommodation providers: missing or broken fire safety equipment, locked exit doors, accumulated rubbish, blocked stairways, open fire doors and inoperative exit lights. Accidents happen and not everything can always be avoided but consulting a fire protection specialist will help you to identify the most appropriate and cost-effective solution for your specific situation.

]]>https://www.accomnews.com.au/2017/08/on-fire-alert-what-makes-your-property-prepared/feed/0Bed bugs a growing downside of more frequent air travelhttps://www.accomnews.com.au/2016/11/bed-bugs-a-growing-downside-of-more-frequent-air-travel/
https://www.accomnews.com.au/2016/11/bed-bugs-a-growing-downside-of-more-frequent-air-travel/#respondWed, 02 Nov 2016 11:14:21 +0000http://www.accomnews.com.au/?p=16948International and domestic travel has never been more accessible to tens of millions of people worldwide, but it is not only people that might be aboard aircraft, ships and other modes of transport.

Insect pests can also be travelling undetected, with bed bugs the most likely to cause real problems in the accommodation industry. Once fairly reliable airport sprays are now far less likely to stop them on arrival in a new country. They might be fairly small but they have caused major disruption to some of the plushest hotels in the world.

They have been in existence for many millions of years but modern scientific technologies still battle to contain them. Highly skilled at remaining hidden in luggage or clothing, they have developed a resistance to chemical sprays and bug bombs through their waxy coating and an enzyme the bug developed. Wherever their host stays, that is where they too are likely set up home – anywhere from a backpackers to a five-star hotel.

Once well established, they can breed in large numbers very quickly. Unfortunately, their human prey in various countries have reported the horrifying nocturnal experience of finding themselves being attacked by bed bugs, with bites all over their bodies, in such numbers that they appear to cover the whole bed. While not everyone has visible signs on their skin the next day, others report bite marks in itchy red welts days later.

Easily hiding themselves almost anywhere in a room, whether it be in the bed base, coverings or in myriads of other places, the bugs will quickly seek out a warm body during the night in search of a meal of blood. And once satiated, they will not have to eat again for three months or more – a fact that makes it very difficult to starve them.

Industry embarrassment

Of course, no-one in the accommodation industry wants to talk about infestations in their property, but they have certainly happened. A quick TripAdvisor search will bring up hundreds of experiences from guests suffering from painful bites following an experience in Aussie accom. The next morning her face and body were covered in bites, which became increasingly painful and itchy. If guests have a more severe reaction to bites, they could require more serious treatment and negative reviews would be the least of your concerns.

The Ministry of Health and the Association of Dermatologists’ website is among those that gives advice on how to identify and deal with the bites.

In Australia, it is difficult to find anyone in the accommodation industry who is willing to discuss the problem, although independent experts take infestations seriously. But last year a report in the Sydney Morning Herald said: “After WW2, most developed nations moved to control bed bug infestation by using insecticides such as DDT. The bugs were almost entirely eliminated. ‘almost’, however, is the key term. By the start of the twenty-first century, numbers were rising steeply. Westmead Children’s Hospital in Sydney reported a 400 percent rise in bed bug cases between 2000 and 2004. Worse, the bugs had descended from hardy DDT-survivors. In 2014, Westmead researchers announced that the little buggers were pesticide resistant.”

A hotel problem anywhere

Even when an infestation is in a country known for its powerful economy and modern pest eradication methods, their impact can be devastating. In the US in 2010, ABC News reported that the National Pest Management Association had said that bed bugs were on the rise in America, with a 71 percent increase in bed bug calls since 2001. “The rise might be blamed on increased travel, lack of awareness and precautions, and changing pest control methods,” the association said.

However, when infestations are proven, there is no simple solution. Particularly in the early stages of infestation, the bugs are extremely difficult to find as they are very adept at finding hiding places in such places as crevices, bedding, furniture, wallboards and light sockets. They will emerge when darkness falls and there are warm, sleeping bodies to be found.

New methods to eliminate them, such as hot steam, are now often used because of their increasing resistant to chemical sprays. But a problem that has tormenting humans since well before the age of the Pharohs is still bothering us today.

]]>https://www.accomnews.com.au/2016/11/bed-bugs-a-growing-downside-of-more-frequent-air-travel/feed/0The storm season is here…https://www.accomnews.com.au/2016/10/the-storm-season-is-here/
https://www.accomnews.com.au/2016/10/the-storm-season-is-here/#respondWed, 19 Oct 2016 09:54:06 +0000http://www.accomnews.com.au/?p=16720As long as we can remember, Australians have been menaced by intense storms due to the size, shape, and location of the Australian continent. Our continent provides the perfect spawning ground for cyclones, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and even super-cells.

And… it’s predicted, due to climate change, that Australia’s storms are likely to grow stronger and more frequent in the years to come.

The 2016 storm season has started! So, what can you do to prepare for the unexpected and minimize any impact for now and into the future?

Window maintenance ‘glass is dangerous’ – clean the tracks of your windows and your doors too. If there is any dirt lodged in the corners or the sides, gently remove it using a strong but non-abrasive cleaner. Pipe cleaners are good for this purpose or something small and slim which won’t damage paint work or the surrounds. Next, check the sealant around the edges of your windows. Some people have vinyl which also needs checking. Ask yourself if it’s firmly in the right place and looks clean – with no pitting or erosion. If it is tight to the window, it is in good health. If it is loose or starting to wear away then it will need replacement because it means that the edges could give way, causing the glass to blow-out during bad weather.

Conduct a maintenance check – if your home has been exposed to storms in the last few years (or if it’s an older property) it may pay to hire a qualified tradesperson to come and evaluate your property and ensure everything is secure. Some great starting points are to check your roofing and gutters for any loose fixtures.

Secure loose items – If high winds or storms are forecast, secure loose items outside the home or store them away. This includes outdoor furniture and children’s toys.

Take out home and contents insurance – in the unlikely event that your home sustains significant damage as a result of storms, flooding or bushfire activity, appropriate home and contents insurance will be essential to mitigating financial loss. The same goes for car insurance, especially if you don’t have anywhere undercover to park.

Register your pets – while your furry friends might appear to be secure in your yard on any normal day, in incidences of extreme weather activity gates can blow open, fencing detaches or frightened pets could find a way to escape looking for reprieve from the elements (should you not be home to bring them inside). Registering and microchipping your animals is highly recommended in the event that they should find themselves far from home.

Bushfires – if you live in a bush fire area, have a plan in place should you, your family, or your property be at risk.

]]>https://www.accomnews.com.au/2016/10/the-storm-season-is-here/feed/0One roof leak could soak up thousands for hotels this storm season, warns R&BShttps://www.accomnews.com.au/2016/10/one-roof-leak-could-soak-up-thousands-for-hotels-this-storm-season-warns-rbs/
https://www.accomnews.com.au/2016/10/one-roof-leak-could-soak-up-thousands-for-hotels-this-storm-season-warns-rbs/#respondSun, 09 Oct 2016 09:58:31 +0000http://www.accomnews.com.au/?p=16467As Queensland heads into its summer storm season, the Roof & Building Service (R&BS) director Scott Jensen said leaks were often seen as small problems but it doesn’t take much for them to turn into gushing streams during heavy rain.

“Unfortunately once water gets in it becomes about repair and damage control,” he said. “The costs quickly add up to thousands when all is said and done.

“Often inspections and maintenance that would have cost a few hundred dollars go unchecked and the result is repair bills well into the thousands,” Scott said.

Mr Jensen suggested one small leak could result in:

$2000+ in roof repairs

$1000+ to repair interiors e.g. walls, ceilings and carpet

$2282 in lost revenue for one hotel room for two weeks, based on the average nightly hotel price in Brisbane for 2015 of $163 as per com Hotel Price Index 2015

$2000+ for furniture loss/damage

“That’s at least $7000 per leak assuming it is dealt with swiftly and the repairs don’t uncover more issues as the result of water penetration or the lack of regular maintenance,” Mr Jensen said.

“This also assumes you’re aware of the leak, if not ongoing rain can worsen the problem and lead to health and safety issues like mould or structural damage.”

Some of the indicators you need a roof condition report include: broken tiles or slates; loose cladding; flashing that has lifted; corrosion of iron sheet roofing; concrete roof membrane damage; or blocked/corroded roof guttering and drainage.